Fuel System complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
I am just a little disgusted by the fact that I bought a brand new vehicle so that I wouldn't have to worry about repairs for awhile. I bought a 2001 Kia Sephia in August of 2001 and it is now July 2004 and my fuel pump has failed twice now. I have had vehicles in the past that have had well over 100,000 miles before ever having to replace a fuel pump. I feel that they should last more that a year or year and a half. I also had the shifter replaced due to a defect. This is a part I have never had to repace on a vehicle even with 300,000 miles!! The fuel pump is my biggest compaint however. I am just over the 60, 000 mile warranty and the fuel pump is going out for the second time. I had to have it replace after I had the vehicle for only a year. The majority of the miles on the car are highway miles as I have approx. A 70 mile commute per day. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Kia Sephia. The contact stated that the vehicle exhibited an unusually overpowering gasoline odor from the blower vents when first starting the vehicle. The failure would occur intermittently and became progressively worse over time. The contact inspected the vehicle and discovered a leak in the fuel dampener at the connection with the fuel line. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
It does not seem like I'm able to get the gas tank completely full. As soon as the pump clicks off you cannot get another drop in and then when I leave the station and go only a few miles the gas gauge is already moved off full. Referenced in rq03-006
Incident #1> husband drove v1 to jacksonville florida, about 21 days after an oil change. I went out the next morning, started car pulled from yard/ engine check light came on, backed into yard, checked oil noted none in v1( dealer states otherwise) Kia road side assistance was called on that Sunday evening, 11/28/1999/ v1 via tow taken to gatorland Toyota. We where not given a rental until 12/01/99> canister buffer/ value pump replaced, v1 still makes pings, knocks when accel/>12/21/1999> engine light came on while driving> 12/20/1999, engine light came n again, gatorland service tech advised safe to drive( we took car in next day) they would not assist with a rental, same problem with valves, ( purge flow replace) val- sol used> rattles still / techs stated unable to find source. …
Filled tank & had overflowing spillage down side of car (indicated very full tank) finished cleaning up excess fuel & turn car on but the fuel gauge would only read 2/3 full, then needle rose to 3/4- I just got the car on Monday 11/7/16 & this has happened twice now, once when leaving la after buying/transferring title & again today. Decided to google the 'symptom' & I'm shocked that a 17-year-old car from 1999 had recall records but was never fixed!!! Previous owner(s) was older couple that had bought it from a dealership & owned it since 2004. The 17-year-old '99 Sephia has only 75K miles on odometer as of November 2016 however was never repaired under recall order.
Tl contact owns a 1999 Kia Sephia. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign id number 99V317000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump). He was not experiencing any failures at the time, but he took the vehicle to the dealer and they replaced the fuel pump connectors. In 2003 (three years later), the engine service light illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle would sporadically stall at any speed. The vehicle also experienced a no start condition. He took the vehicle back to the dealer and they stated that the fuel pump connector was corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred in 2006. He took the vehicle back to the dealer and they stated that the fuel pump connector was corroded again. …
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Kia Sephia. While driving various speeds, the vehicle would shut off without warning. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 99V317000 (fuel system, gasoline). The contact was informed by the manufacturer that the vehicle had been serviced for the recall in 1999. The contact took the vehicle to hanson Kia (2300 carriage loop sw, olympia, wa 98502, [phone]) and was informed that a diagnostic test needed to be performed to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 119,000.
I purchased a Kia in March 02' I used the car for long trips the first year I had owned the car and I had no faults in jan.- feb 03' the car began to shift in to numerous gears and then stall. I was then deployed to iraq. I left the car with a good friend. When I came back he informed me that the car wouldn't start. Dealer said it was the fuel pump. Friend replaced the fuel pump.friend then replaced fuel pump again when car wouldn't start. Friend left the car alone,when it didn't start, until I had returned from iraq. I came back and took the car to midas, due to the fact that the dealer didn't have an idea of what was going on. Midas then said it was the fuel pump. I had it replaced for a third time. Car ran for a day then died. I took the car back to midas they said it was the wiring harness. I had that replaced. Car still didn't start. …
Related recalls (2)
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Electrical current to the fuel pump passes through the c304 and c305 connectors. If exposed to moisture, these connectors could corrode. Over time, the fuel pump will not receive enough current to operate.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the existing connectors and reposition those connectors to an area where the placement is designed to prevent contact with moisture.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The electrical circuit for the fuel pump is grounded at junction connector g300. If the pin tension is poor, or the bolt securing the connector to the vehicle floor is not tightened sufficiently, a poor connection is made.
Remedy: This corrective action is being performed in conjunction with recall no. 99V317.
NHTSA investigations
Refueling spit back
In June 2000, Kia notified odi of a defect condition in approximately 100,000 my 1998-99 sephia passenger vehicles manufactured from October 17, 1997 to May 16, 1999, that could result in fuel spit back while refueling (ea99-034, recall 00v-175).according to Kia, manufacturing changes made to the onboard refueling vapor recovery (orvr) valve could cause fuel shut off before the tank reached 95% of nominal capacity…
Refueling spit back
Based on the low rate of fuel spit-back incedents (14.3 incidents per 100,000 vehicles sold), a low warranty claims rate of 0.02 percent, and the lack of engineering information that would support the presence of an engineering defect, a safety-related defect trend has not been identified and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this…
Frequently asked questions
Which Kia Sephia years have fuel system problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1998 (62), 1999 (49), 2000 (15), 1997 (12) and 2001 (7) model years. Fuel System complaints make up 13% of all complaints for the 1998.
Is there a recall for Kia Sephia fuel system problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 99V-317 (fuel pump, Nov 9, 1999); 99V-318 (fuel pump, Nov 9, 1999). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Kia Sephia fuel system problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 57,000 miles; 42% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the storage › tank assembly (48 mentions), followed by the delivery › fuel pump (37).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.